1
as in ripping
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
angrily tore the letter to shreds
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in yanking
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hurrying
to proceed or move quickly
she tore out of the room as soon as the phone started to ring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tearing
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Dec. 2025
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2026
That’s the only way to navigate explosive change without tearing ourselves apart.
—
Henry De Sio,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
As the aircraft approached Atlantic City, a portion of one of the main rotor blades separated, the NTSB report showed, tearing the transmission and rotor apart and sending the helicopter crashing onto the Garden State Parkway.
—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
The Great Fire of Southwark burned through London, tearing through Southwark and burning the London Bridge, which had just been rebuilt in stone.
—
USA Today,
24 June 2026
Folks around the sport weren’t tearing their hair out trying to invent the perfect system to crown a champion.
—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Videos from the confrontation show smashed car windows, fires burning on the sidewalks, and Haredi men tearing at police fences as officers beat them back and arrest rioters.
—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
23 June 2026
The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur battered parts of the southeastern United States with drenching rains and strong wind on Thursday, tearing through buildings, flooding homes and launching water rescues along the Gulf Coast.
—
CBS News,
19 June 2026
When Dick came down there was a sharp pain and a tearing sound at the back of my jacket.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Adjective
By acting as a biomechanical bridge, soft enough for muscle, strong enough for rigid parts, the tendons eliminate the tearing and detachment problems that have plagued previous designs.
—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
Start with a glass or fine-grit nail file for shaping without tearing the layers of the nail, and a buffer block to lightly smooth the surface.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2026
That’s the only way to navigate explosive change without tearing ourselves apart.
—
Henry De Sio,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
As the aircraft approached Atlantic City, a portion of one of the main rotor blades separated, the NTSB report showed, tearing the transmission and rotor apart and sending the helicopter crashing onto the Garden State Parkway.
—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
The Great Fire of Southwark burned through London, tearing through Southwark and burning the London Bridge, which had just been rebuilt in stone.
—
USA Today,
24 June 2026
Folks around the sport weren’t tearing their hair out trying to invent the perfect system to crown a champion.
—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Videos from the confrontation show smashed car windows, fires burning on the sidewalks, and Haredi men tearing at police fences as officers beat them back and arrest rioters.
—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
23 June 2026
The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur battered parts of the southeastern United States with drenching rains and strong wind on Thursday, tearing through buildings, flooding homes and launching water rescues along the Gulf Coast.
—
CBS News,
19 June 2026
When Dick came down there was a sharp pain and a tearing sound at the back of my jacket.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing
Adjective
-
One spring day in Paris many years ago, my wife, Diana, a most penetrating photographer, capable of seeing like no one else, decided, as an experiment, to walk across the city blindfolded.
-
Since the war began in Gaza, more than six months ago, the Israeli magazine +972 has published some of the most penetrating reporting on the Israel Defense Forces’ conduct.
Verb
-
The game was mostly notable for its physicality as referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio allowed both teams to batter each other, with blood flowing and shirts ripping.
-
On Thursday morning, one of the two landlord representatives, Christina Smyth, resigned, ripping the rent freeze as a predetermined conclusion the board had worked to justify.
Verb
-
Keep the movement coming from your ribs, rotating, not by yanking your neck.
-
Counsell admitted postgame that yanking Imanaga might not have been the right move.
Verb
-
Set over the course of eight years (including the lockdown period during COVID), Herry’s film unfolds fluidly, neither hurrying scenes up unnecessarily, nor lingering too long on any incident.
-
No point hurrying toward a resolution that was always receding.
Adjective
-
So Google isn’t trying to release more biting mosquitoes into neighborhoods.
-
Netflix’s big comedy bet might be the Dan Levy–Rachel Sennott co-creation Big Mistakes; the biting, farcical series about adult siblings who get caught up in the drug business plays like Weeds crossed with The Other Two.
Verb
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The video then shows the woman throwing Martinez to the ground, grabbing her by the hair and repeatedly attacking her as bystanders try to step in and help.
-
According to Sangrio, the video appears to show Matthew Cox, O'Toole's then-attendant, striking the 60-year-old with a broom, punching him and grabbing him by the neck.
Verb
-
Suppose a relatively small near-Earth object is speeding toward our planet, threatening to wipe the city of Dallas (whose population is over a million) off the map.
-
The Yuba City Police Department on Friday released a dash camera video of the end of the chase on social media, which began after an officer saw a car speeding in the area of Stabler Lane and Jamie Drive just west of Highway 99 shortly after midnight on Monday.
Adjective
-
Jean-Philippe Mateta, named in France’s World Cup squad earlier this month, reacted superbly after Rayo keeper Augusto Batalla could only parry a stinging Wharton shot from the edge of the box.
-
Coming up short in the 2025 ISL boys lacrosse championship left a stinging sensation for Tabor Academy.
Cite this Entry
“Tearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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